By Bret Wirta
Railroad Bridge Park
January 11th, 2011
Distance: Just a couple of miles.
Hiking Time: An hour or so
Elevation: Around sea level
Olympic Discovery Trail Report
My daughter Becca and her friend Casey and I wanted to go skiing at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park but the road was icy and a big snow storm was forecasted for that afternoon, so instead we decided to go where you can be outdoors on the Peninsula anytime of the year, the Olympic Discovery Trail. The ODT is a non-motorized, walking and bicycling trail that, when complete, will stretch for 100 miles from Port Townsend on the east end to the Pacific Ocean at La Push on the west end. Most of the route follows the abandoned Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad right-of-way, so it’s flat and smooth with many fine views along the shoreline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Over a third of it is completed and another third is funded and being constructed.